A/N: not sure if I already said this bcs my memory is shit but in my story every dorm has its own bathroom, for plot convenience. Also, why do I never realize how angsty my work is until after I've written it? I swear I don't mean too, it just happens.
Trigger warning:
Mentions of PTSD, bullying, and injuries (not self inflicted). the majority of this chapter is within the triggering section, so if you decide not to read past the warning (⚠️), here is your summary:
He takes a bath and comments to himself how good the shampoo smells, then gets out and changes into his pajama pants and one of Shinso's tank-tops. Shinso helps him with re-applying the bandages on his arms and he goes to bed while Shinso stays up to finish some schoolwork.
If you decide to,
Have fun reading!
Deku POV
I was able to eat most of the food in the bowl, but I drank all the tea that he made. It was really good, and just like he said, it felt good on my throat.
Shinso suggested that I take a shower because it might feel nice, but I can't really stand so we decided it would be easier for me to take a bath. He grabbed me some clothes from my bag by the door and filled the bathtub as well.
(⚠️Trigger warning start⚠️)
I told him that I would be fine by myself but as soon as the door to the bathroom closed I started feeling paranoid again and started crying. He heard me and practically burst through the door to calm me down.
"Can you, um, leave the door open? You don't have to be in here or anything, I just, uhm,-"
"You sure you don't want me to stay?"
"Um, yeah. I'll be fine. Th-thanks."
I covered my face with my hands because I'm pretty sure I was bright red.
Thankfully, he left the room, and I focused on trying to get undressed with one hand. It wasn't too difficult considering I was still only wearing the hospital gown and Shinso's school jacket.
I carefully moved to sit on the ledge of the bathtub from the wheelchair and submerged my feet into the water.
Immediately I groaned in satisfaction. I've never been so happy for a bath in my life. I slowly lowered myself fully into the bath and let out a sigh of relief. I am never taking a bath for granted again.
I relish in the warmth for a bit longer before submerging my hair underwater and grabbing Shinso's shampoo. It smells amazing- like cedar wood and citrus. I let out a quiet moan at the scent. Maybe it's because I was stuck in a gross basement for months, but I didn't know a smell could be so attractive.
I wonder if- my cheeks heat up. Shinso definitely smells like this. I chew on my lip, shinso's gorgeous eyes staring back at me in my head.
"He's so beautiful." I whisper to myself.
Taking a bath with one hand was harder than I thought, but I managed- thankfully. I don't think I would have the courage to ask Shinso for help taking a bath. That would be really embarrassing. Also, I don't want him to see the scars that I purposefully didn't look at when taking the bath. I made sure to scrub my whole body until it was bright red and everything burned. I didn't want any trace of what happened on my skin. Every place they touched me, every single time their skin came into contact with mine, I scrubbed.
If only it was that easy to erase those memories.
When I was done I could still feel the ghosts of their hands all over, but the water was getting cold so I knew I needed to get out.
Getting dressed is a different story. I manage to get my all-might pajama pants on but my t-shirt gets stuck halfway over my head. After a few seconds of struggling I feel the collar pressing against my throat, and I realize both my hands are stuck above my head. It's covering my face, too. I can't see. I clench my jaw and squeeze my eyes shut.
You can do this Izuku. It's just a shirt.
But it doesn't feel like a shirt.
My arms are tied above my head and someone's gripping my neck hard enough that I can't breathe.
My strangled cry can't be held back as a flaming hand comes into contact with my chest, and I feel like I'm being burned alive. I'm dangling from the ceiling, writhing in agony as he pulls away just to set his hand back down on a new part of my chest. His voice taunts me.
"Shhh. The louder you scream, the longer I'll keep my hand here."
I'm no longer stuck in the t-shirt but I'm still being restrained. Strong arms hold me against a toned chest as I take in big, uneven breaths. Despite the obvious strength being used to restrain me from thrashing around, his hold on me is gentle.
"Shhh, it's just me. I've got you." I nod, letting out a shaky sigh of relief.
I realize that I'm now shirtless and my wounds are visible for Shinso to see, so I struggle out of his grasp and scramble to get the towel from the floor to cover myself.
He looks at me in understanding.
"Let's get you something a bit easier to put on." He grabs a tank top out of his closet and examines it for a moment before nodding.
"This should work. It should be a bit loose on you, and the holes are bigger because it's a tank top."
I don't have the strength to look him in the eye as I thank him. That was so embarrassing.
He hesitantly leaves the room again, making sure to keep the door open.
I get the tank top on without much of an issue but I jump when I hear a loud nock on Shinso's dorm door. He opens the door and I hear a kid speaking.
"Hey what the fuck was that? It sounded like someone was getting murdered in here." I hear in a hushed whisper.
"None of your business, that's what." Shinso said, closing his door.
"Hey, what the hell dude?" I hear on the other side of the door, but it seems like he's given up because it's silent after that.
I look down at my arms that need to be re-wrapped and then to the roll of bandages on the counter, biting my lip. I reach for the bandages, deciding how I'm going to get them on.
"Let me help you with that." Shinso came back into the bathroom and gently took the wraps from my hands. He gestures for me to extend my arm out towards him, and after some hesitation I do.
I watch in wonder as he handles me with care, looking like he knows exactly what he's doing.
"You-you're really good at this."
"I got bullied a lot as a kid for my quirk. My parents worked late a lot of the time and I was independent to a fault." He says, chuckling lightly. "I sort of refused to let my parents help me when stuff like that happened, so I learned to patch myself up. I guess I just felt like I shouldn't have to rely on anyone, because they might go behind my back or something. I dunno, it's dumb."
"It's not dumb! I uh, I got bullied too when I was younger. My quirk, um, manifested late, so I got picked on for being quirkless. My mom always took care of my injuries though." I mumble the last part.
He looks up to my face and gives me a small smile, before looking back down to my arm where he finishes wrapping the bandage.
"All better. Let's get you to bed." He pushes me out towards his bed and asks me if I need help getting from the wheelchair to the bed.
(⚠️trigger warning end⚠️)
"Wait b-but that's your bed. I should sleep on the floor." I don't want to take his bed after invading his room and making him take care of me. Plus it's not like im not used to sleeping on the floor. If you could even call it sleep.
"Trust me, you need the bed more than I do. I'm staying up to finish some of my missing work from yesterday anyways."
"But, it's your room. I don't wanna take advantage of you or a-anything." I bite my lip, looking at the ground. I don't wanna bother Shinso.
"Nope. You're sleeping in the bed. End of discussion." He sounds almost like a mother trying to get their kids to go to bed.
I nod my head, looking down. Using the arms of the wheelchair, I pull myself into a shaky upright position and sit down on the bed, laying down on top of the sheets. It's even more comfortable than the hospital bed.
The warm glow of the lamp at Shinso's desk is comforting and makes me feel safer as I drift off to sleep.
1396 words.